Manchester City face a very quick turnaround, coming off the Premier League weekend’s headliner fixture, a six goal draw with Tottenham Hotspur. That result had to feel like a win for Tottenham, considering how the previous couple of games had gone for them. It most likely felt like a loss for City, given their astronomical standards and expectations as reigning treble winners. Now comes a third versus fourth place battle, as City travels to Aston Villa in midweek.
Manchester City at Aston Villa FYIs
Kick off: 8:15 pm, Wednesday Dec 6, 8:15, Villa Park
Preview Content: Team News for Both Sides Man City Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Position: Man City 3rd, 30 pts Aston Villa 4th, 29 pts
Form Guide: Man City DDDWW Aston Villa DWWLW
Google Result Probability: Man City 56% Aston Villa 22% Draw 22%
In other words, this is the marquee midweek match, and it’s one with huge top four implications. Let’s look at what the strongest side possible is that Pep Guardiola could put out there.
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction at Aston Villa
Ederson; Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake; Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva; Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez; Erling Haaland
Prediction: Aston Villa 2, Manchester City 1
The Sky Blues are just not the same team when Rodri is missing, and that will be the case on Wednesday. When someone else is in the middle of the park, they just don’t grove the same.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.
